The present invention generally relates to communication between computer devices across wireless computer networks. More particularly, the invention relates to the sharing of geographical location information among a predesignated set of wireless telecommunication devices selectively communicating across a wireless network.
In wireless telecommunication devices, such as cellular phones, PDAs, mini-laptops, and advanced pagers, the devices typically communicate over long distances through bridging telephone calls through the existing telephone networks and passing data packets across the telephone network. These wireless devices often have either limited or significant data processing and computing capability, and can accordingly send and receive software programs across the wireless phone network.
There exists a wireless telecommunication service that provides a quick one-to-one or one-to-many communication that is generically referred to as “Push-To-Talk” (PTT) capability. The specific PTT group of recipient devices for the wireless device is set up by the carrier and the wireless devices do not typically allow the modification of the group, to include or drop individuals from the group, or to direct a communication to be received by any fewer members than the entire group.
A PTT communication connection is typically initiated by a single button-push that activates a half-duplex link between the speaker and the group and once the button is released, the device can receive incoming PTT transmissions. In some arrangements, the PTT speaker will have the “floor” where no other group member can speak while the speaker is speaking. Once the speaker releases the PTT button, any other individual member of the group can engage their PTT button and they will have the floor.
In a designated group of telecommunication devices, such as a PTT group, the members are often in constant ongoing communications, using the group talking function frequently to coordinate a specific activity. However, other than the voice communications between the members of the group, there is not typically a method to communicate data or other information to the group members using the PTT or other wireless device functionality. There accordingly is a need for a system to provide information to group members regarding other group members, especially the geographical location of the other members of the group.
Accordingly, it would be advantageous to provide a system and method for a wireless device member of a group to provide their geographical location to other members of the group. Such system and method should give the user of the wireless telecommunication device the ability to selectively provide to other wireless devices the geographical location information to maintain the user's location privacy. Further, such system and method should be able to display the position of one to all members of the group to each member of group. It is thus to the provision of such a system and method of sharing geographical location information between wireless telecommunication devices that the present invention is primarily directed.